Lilian Jackson Braun: The Cat Who... series
A few years ago, the Mystery Guild Book Club polled members with the question "Which mystery writer would you rather be stranded on a desert island with?" The winner: Lillian Jackson Braun. The book club didn't ask why readers voted for her, but anyone who has read Ms. Braun's novels knows why.
With the exception of the first three novels, which set the stage for the series, each novel is a vacation for the reader to a quirky, arts-loving, small town where the most important edifice is the library. Each novel in the series is a murder mystery, but the violence is off-screen, and the murder presents itself early in the story as a problem to be solved. While solving the murder, the protagonist and the reader learn something about the arts such as painting, ceramics or spinning and weaving, along with drama, history, literature and geography.
As far as I can count, Lillian Jackson Braun has written twenty eight novels in The Cat Who... series starting with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, published in 1966, and continuing through The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, published in 2007.
The series starts with the story of Jim Qwilleran, an unemployed journalist who had once been great but whose alcoholism and divorce had derailed his career. Now alone and on the wagon, he hopes to get any job he can, just to pay the rent. Mortified by the fact that he is forced to accept an insignificant column in the features section, he accepts, and in his research he ends up solving a murder. He adopts the victim's now homeless cat, Koko, who proves to be the most intelligent and entertaining, if not the most well-behaved cat in literature.
The series gets interesting when Jim suddenly finds himself heir to one of the largest fortunes in America, providing that he move to the town of Pickax described as "400 miles north of everywhere." For Qwilleran, moving to Pickax isn't near as much of a problem as figuring out what to do with all that money.
The Girlebooks reading list recommends this series for the sheer fun of reading. The beauty of this series is that when you get that lost feeling after reading a really good book you can always pick up the next one.
>>> Join the discussion in the new Lilian Jackson Braun fan forum!
My sister and I are about to read through the series again. (I know of a lady who has read them six times). We decided to end the series at "Dropped a Bombshell" as we felt the book after that, which we discarded, was out of character and we felt lost and disappointed. What better way to end when she wrote in the Bombshell book, "When your dish is full of cream don't expect more." And then she wrote a postscript. What a perfect ending, so that we can go on in our minds to want to be living in Pickaxe attending all the gatherings. We love Lillian Jackson Braun.
Please forgive me for misspelling Pickax.. How could I?
Oh, we all misspell a name now and then. Just don't misspell "Qwill" or "Koko"! Welcome, Connie!
I used to work with someone named Connie Magee. At a school. But she moved last year.
Praline, Well, this is amazing....May not be how you do it, but I had to say I worked at a school for 28 yrs.....
Funny, huh.
Geez, you may be my Connie. I like to stay incognito, but this is quite a coincidence. Did you perhaps drive a .......convertible? And you moved in the middle of the year? Whoooo knew you loved "Cat Who" too?
Praline, wouldn't that have been fun....but I'm not that Connie. I live in the mountains and drive a 4-wheel drive for all our snow. Phooey. Con
Qwill decided, the next morning to drive up to the lake house and see what was going on in regards to a dead body in a santa suite. He yelled treat, and when yumyum bounded down he let her eat a bit and then put her in the wicker hamper that served as the cat carrier. Koko yeowwwed an ear splitting yeow and hopped in the carrier on his own, arranging himself beside yumyum who was in her "dead-cat" pose in the basket.
They enjoyed the ride to the lake in silence until they turned onto the lake road. When the siamese smelled the lake they let out several yowwwwws and nowwwwwws. Qwill took a deep breath as well, enjoying the fresh country air.
As he turned into the driveway, just past the large "K" nailed to a post, he saw ruts and fresh tire tracks. He drove over the crest and the cabin and lake came into view.
Happy New Year posters! 2012. I will start the new year by sharing websites I like with you:
P.AllenSmith's Garden Home
Ree Drummond Pioneer Woman
PinInterest
Little Illuminations
Create TV
I have not had time to post here since the new year. We are busy at my house with recovering from accidents and illnesses. My husband had a hip replacement in Dec and even though he has had six weeks to heal, recovery is slow and painful. I have had another cancer pop up and am back in treatment. We are a "sorry" lot right now and being sick while caring for a sick husband is not in my top ten list of fun things to do!
I have enjoyed reading posts and fan fiction. I wish everyone a happy new year and a good year. I can just imagine if Qwill has to have a knee replacement on that "bad kneee" of his what a bear he would be during recovery. I don't know who would be available to take care of him the way I do my bear of a husband, lol. Anne
Anne, and Joyce
I have aready replied to your comment, but have not noticed it in the recent comments. given the way things have been around here with electrical storms etc, I wonder if you could let me know where the glitch could possibly be, Joyce?
Anyway, lots of greetings to Anne and lots of get better. Please let us know how you are going.
Kindest of Regards,
Diana
Bless your heart, Anne. And after being such an inspiration to us with your listening to Cat Who...tapes during chemo and your general upbeat attitude. My prayers go out to you and your bear of a husband. Hope he follows your example and takes as good care of you. Thanks for remembering us and coming back to let us know how it's going.
Joyce, have you seen the two Lilian Jackson Braun sites on facebook. One is The Cat Who and the other one has the cutest name: People Who Want to LIve in Moose County.
My sister and I have thought of that often to live in Moose County. YES! And attend all the fun community events. Thank you for sharing that item.
Anne, thanks for the Heads-up. I "like" the first and joined the second. It will be fun to see what they have to say.
I listened to "Cheese" today, I am on tape two. They are getting ready to have the auction to raise money for the great food explo. The old Pickax Hotel has blown up and Polly is recovering from her heart attack.. Qwill has just agreed to be a bachelor in the auction. We find out in this book that Elaine Feder stole Iris Cobb's cookbook and Qwill devises a plan to get it back. He buys a book from Eddignton Smith and has to bury it because it was so stinky. Qwill meets Aubrey Scotten who has premature white hair and is a gentle giant. This book it so full of interesitng side stories and funny adventures. It is a great little read or listen. Priceless.
I have listened to the first two tapes of the Book: The Cat Who Ate Cheese" and it is a great little book. I am only a third of the way in and already we have met Aubrey Scotten, a gentle giant who raises bees and has premature white hair, Ellen Fedder who we learn stole Iris Cobb's cookbook, the hotel has been bombed and we met Oonosh who is mysterious. We learn Qwill will participate in a Bachelor Auction for charity at the Great Food Explo. He buys a used cheese book from Eddington Smith and it stinks so bad he has to bury it............twice, when animals dig it up. This little book is a great read or listen it is so full of humor and adventure.
Sorry for the double post, I thought the first one did not go through! oops
Glad you said it was a double post. I noticed the two were slightly different and thought that either:
a) you were talking about the tape in one and the book in the other
or
b) my memory is not what is used to be and I am experiencing a case of deja vu.
In any case, I'm glad you are back to absorbing LJB. Life has been so demanding lately that we haven't heard much from the members. My fault: I haven't posted a review in a long time. I'll have to put that on my "to do" list. I'll look forward to that. I'll be able to read the book on my new Kindle Fire.
Connie asks where to get the books on tape or CD. I bought mine at a used book store, although you could get them at a regular book store as well (more expensive, however.)
Diana, I got your message about your comments not appearing. It is strange, because I see the comment on the Administrator tools and it is approved (Laura usually beats me to the draw) so I can't imagine why the comments are not appearing. I don't see your comment here, so I'm as much in the dark as you. Laura and I will be keeping an eye out. In the meantime, keep commenting. Laura and I see it, even if it doesn't appear.
The following is the comment from Diana that is missing in action. [Sometimes it depends on where you click the "reply" button (at the bottom or after a specific comment) but I don't see your comment there either.]
Anne, and Joyce
I have aready replied to your comment, but have not noticed it in the recent comments. given the way things have been around here with electrical storms etc, I wonder if you could let me know where the glitch could possibly be, Joyce?
Anyway, lots of greetings to Anne and lots of get better. Please let us know how you are going.
Kindest of Regards,
Diana
Well, now Diana's comment appears further up the page under Anne's comment. I promise it wasn't there a minute ago.